Star Journey
by rebelrsr
Summary: George and Emily plan their futures while gazing at the stars.


"Almost done." George fiddled with the knobs on the telescope he'd lugged from the station to a nearby park.

Leaning against a tree, Emily sipped at a glass of wine from _her _contribution to the evening: a well-filled picnic basket. "I didn't know you were interested in stargazing, George."

"It's a new hobby. The telescope was a gift, of sorts." A very expensive gift, Emily thought. "From Roger Newsome. Some wretched attempt to apologize for abandoning me to certain death during the Auto Club debacle." George made no bones of his dislike for his benefactor. "As if a telescope and membership to the Royal Astronomical Society could possibly make up for running away like a craven coward while I begged for his help."

He was so serious and dramatic. Emily covered her mouth to hide her smile. "It's a very generous gift, George. The Society has some of the world's most renowned scholars of astronomy. Men who advise the Prime Minister and King Edward himself."

"Really?" His smile was quirky and endearing. "I suppose I'll have to forgive Roger Newsome – of the Mimico Newsomes – for deserting me in my hour of need. I do find looking at the stars to be fascinating, indeed."

Emily set her glass on the edge of the blanket and moved closer to watch George finish setting up the telescope. "You'll be an astrophile in no time," she told him.

"A what now?" He bent and put his eye to the eyepiece, adjusting the focus knob.

"Someone who's interested in the stars." Emily forbore to mention that the interest was that of an amateur. A far cry from most members of the Royal Society. George had never allowed his position as a police constable to hold him back from his dreams.

"There!" George stepped away from the telescope. "Take a look, Emily! I do believe that's Ursa Major."

His enthusiasm was contagious. Emily bent over the eyepiece and peered through the lens. Stars sprang into focus in a dizzying display. She didn't see anything resembling a bear in the pinpricks of light, though. "I've never seen anything like it," she lied, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

George's smile was brighter than the stars. "With this little bit of metal and glass, it's like we're right there!" Rifling through the knapsack he'd insisted on dragging along with the telescope itself, he pulled out several crumpled sheets of expensively thick paper. "I've been studying these star charts, and I had the most _amazing _thought, Emily."

Well used to his flights of fancy and generally long-winded explanations, Emily lowered herself to the blanket spread next to the telescope. "Another book idea?" she teased. "Are you going back to ancient Egypt or branching out? The Yukon?" Then even Emily got swept up in finding the right setting. "Oh! The Far East, George!"

"Something better." George sat next to her, highlighting the papers in his hand with a flashlight. "_Space_, Emily."

"Like Martians?" Wrinkling her nose, Emily considered that. "I'm not sure…" She'd been subjected to George's beliefs on the appearance and culture of Martians before. It was not anything she'd want to read about.

As if sensing her distaste for alien lifeforms, George dropped into an ungainly tangle of limbs and star charts. "Not aliens, Emily Grace. Humans." He glanced up, face illuminated in a cone of light from the flashlight beam. "Humans – in space!"

Emily laughed. How could she not? "In space, George? How in the world would we get there?"

"Well…I…I don't rightly know. Exactly." He didn't let the lack of details stop him. "We could take ships. Big spaceships. Or…or space vessels. Yes! Space vessels. Can you imagine sailing into space, Emily?"

Caught up in George's vision, Emily could see it. Large, sailed ships rising into the night sky. "It sounds so exciting."

"I bet in the future, they'll be stations. No! Platforms! Platforms in space where space explorers can live. It will be brilliant!" George fell silent for a moment as he stared at the star charts. "I'd go into space. Live on one of the platforms."

Emily nodded. Yes. Living in space would certainly be preferable to Earth. If only Lillian were there. She'd be the first passenger on a space vessel. Lillian had loved adventure. She shook off her melancholia. "We'll go together," she said softly. "I'll be an intrepid space doctor, and you can write fabulous tales of alien creatures and travels to new planets."

"What should we call it? The new book?" He took off his suitcoat and draped it over Emily's shoulders before turning off the flashlight and laying down on the blanket. "_Our _new book. I wouldn't think of writing it without your input, Dr. Grace."

George was such a genuinely nice man. A good friend. Emily pulled the suitcoat more tightly around her. "Star Journey. No, that's too close to Mr. Verne's novel. Star Trek, the voyages of Constable George Crabtree and Dr. Emily Grace."


End file.
